Tsukaeru Shounen
by shirasagi
Summary: [FE6] Roy always said I needed more initiative: that I couldn't do anything I wanted to do because I was always concerned with other people. Well, I guess I should start listening to him...
1. Recovering

Yay! An FE6 fic! Because there aren't enough of them...

Hello, everyone. As you can see, this is my first fic. I've been reading fanfiction on the site for quite a while, about three years, but I never thought I could actually contribute something worth reading until one of my friends read a little idea I had during school and thought it was great. So, here I go...

WARNING The main couple in this fic is boyxboy, yaoi, shonen ai, whatever you would like to call it. Therefore, if you take offense to such a thing, stop, click the back button at the top of the window, and move on your merry way to the next fic you so choose. There will eventually be a few het pairings, in fact, all the rest of the pairings will be het. But, the main couple, and therefore the emphasis of the story, is boyxboy, so leave now if you so desire. Please. If you must voice your opinion on the subject matter, do so nicely and with correct grammar, after all, this is a writing site. Thank you for your cooperation.END OF WARNING

Oh, and by the way, I don't own Fire Emblem. 'gasp' That's a shock...

Chapter 1

Just another day in Sacae...

The sun was just rising over the Sacaen horizon. Dawn was a peaceful time for the plains; a high contrast to the crimson fields that existed just a few days ago. I hadn't seen the sunrise in a long time. Either I was busy practicing or training at this hour, or, on very rare occasions, I slept in. However, my Sacaen bunkmate, Shin, and his friend Sue decided to get me up just for this moment. And, I must say that I needed it.

"Wolt, it's time to head back into camp. You need to rest so your arm can heal."

I absently held said arm as I silently followed my companions on Sue's horse as she guided her along. There was a large bandage covering the entire forearm. It was just a long scratch, but the healers wanted to be extra careful, since their magic had strangely little effect on it. Sister Ellen said she would stop by sometime this morning to see how it was doing.

Eventually, the grassy plains turned into a forest of canvas. Most of the camp had not yet awoken, seeing how today would be a rest day, but the first few risers could be seen around the camp tending to their various duties. Once we reached the magic user/archer area of camp, we came upon Clarine who was fussing over her brother who had a large burn on his back from an enemy's Elfire spell. Nearby, Rutger was cleaning and polishing his sword while looking up and making sure the blond Valkyrie wasn't going to chop of her brother's head for being so careless. Sue's grandfather, Dayan, was standing outside his tent. I met him last night. Shin told me that he met up with us at the battle in Bulgar, which is where I received this injury. Which tells you how long I've been unconscious. I first woke up last night, and Sister Ellen said that I was unconscious for a week. Anyway, he nodded his head to my nomad counterparts, and they proceeded to go with him into his tent after nodding good-bye to me. Roy requested that they go with him on a scouting mission today, so the three of them would be gone the whole day. I dismounted Sue's horse rather clumsily-my arm still seared with pain every time I moved it-and proceeded to tie her up next to the tent. I was now left with a screaming blond healer for company. I smartly decided not to let her see me out of bed, and made my way back into my tent to find Sister Ellen already there, sitting on my cot, waiting patiently for me.

"Er, good morning, Sister Ellen! Were you waiting long?"

"Wolt! You shouldn't be moving around, you might reopen the wound by accident. It took almost a whole mend staff to close it!"

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to see the sunrise. It's been a while, and I have some things I have to think over."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time for that. I am ordering you to stay in bed all day today. And the day after that! Here, let me check up on the arm..." She forcibly pulled me over to the bed and started to unwrap the bandages from my right arm. There was still a large gash along the length of my arm, though it wasn't spewing blood by the bucket loads like everyone said it was before. If I had only seen that Myrmidon sooner...

"Well, it's stopped bleeding. Your main artery seems to have closed up. That's a very good sign. I was panicking when my healing efforts weren't closing the vessel. It just kept spewing out blood. I thought you would run out any second! But, thank heavens the cut missed your main muscle tissue. If it was only a centimeter or two to the right, you would have never been able to shoot a bow ever again, much less hold it. Healing magic can only go so far..." She reached into her pouch and pulled out some kind of jar. She unscrewed the lid, poured some of the pale green cream that was inside onto her hand, and proceeded to apply it on my injury. The slight sting from the medicine, though uncomfortable, was a much needed relief from the now dull throb of the cut. "This cream is like a super-elixir. It's a concoction I made, with Father Saul's help, from the leaves of the Latona tree. It's a rare tree that only grows near Aqualeia, but it possesses very powerful healing powers. It's the wood of choice when making a powerful healing staff. In any case, it was blessing from God that I managed to pick up some leaves while we were in the area. This cream seems to be the only thing that will work on your cut. I'm very curious as to why our healing staves are not working effectively on it. There. Now, try to refrain from moving your arm at all, and one of us will come in later to see how you're doing. Meanwhile, I'm going to research this problem. I'll see if any of the tomes have information about a wound like yours. Light magic tomes in particular have much to say on the art of healing. Perhaps I can ask General Roy if I could borrow Aureola."

"May I help you perform your research, Sister Ellen? I don't think I'll have anything else to do today, anyway."

"Er... well... I don't know. Do you know how to read the characters?"

"A little. My mom had a good friend who was a wise and powerful sage. She taught my mom and me the basics of anima writing."

"Interesting. Unfortunately, light tomes are written very differently than anima tomes, so I doubt you could help much. But, you've given me an idea. I'm going to go ask Lady Lilina and Miss Sophia to help us. There could easily be something in the other tomes. I will be back." With that, she hurried out of the room with her white and light blue robes flowing behind her. With Miss Ellen gone, I now had nothing left to do for the time being. Knowing that Lady Lilina loved to sleep in on mornings such as this, and that Miss Sophia liked to take long walks around whatever area we were at, I decided there was enough time to take a quick nap before Sister Ellen returned. The injury, though not life-threatening anymore nor infected, must still be draining on my body's resources. I haven't felt this tired since... for a long time, anyway. So tired, in fact, that I remained completely unaware of the presence shadowing the tent flap, watching me as I fell asleep before vanishing into the mess of other tents.

-----

The rustling of my tent flaps jerked me back to the present world. Lady Lilina was at the opening. She looked slightly nervous, an expression that looked very strange on her. But, she suddenly burst into a wide smile upon seeing me. "Oh, you're finally awake. That's a good sign."

"Hello, Lady Lilina. How are feeling this morning? Is your face feeling better?"

"Hm? Oh, why, yes thank you, but my injury was nothing. The arrow only grazed my cheek. The important question is how are _you_ feeling?"

"Well, it doesn't really hurt as much anymore. It's calmed down to a dull throb. Sister Ellen, though, seems to be very interested in why her healing magic doesn't work on it."

She started shaking her head at me while she sat down on the bed. "Wolt, why do you always address people so formally? We're all friends! I've known you for over ten years! Lilina is just fine!"

"I'm sorry Lad... Lilina. I'm supposed to. I'm not of royal blood."

"Well, you might as well be! If anyone has a problem with you calling Roy or me informally, tell them to see me and I'll set them straight. They'll never want to hear 'Aircalibur' ever again!"

I had to laugh at that statement. Ever since Lilina borrowed a copy of that spell book from General... er ... Cecilia, she's been infatuated with it. She's probably read the whole thing about five times. It never leaves her side.

"It's nice to see your sense of humor is back. Roy has been so worried about you that he can't sleep!"

Wait a minute... "Lord... um... Roy has been worried about me?"

She looked like I had just shot her with an arrow. "Are you crazy? Did you not forget that you're his BEST FRIEND? He was crying profusely when you came back from the battle bloody and unconscious! He's either been cooped up in his tent or in here sitting by your bed! I could barely get him to eat, and we've been having salmon from the rivers here! You know how much he loves salmon!"

Although, from her size, it doesn't seem like it, Lilina has one of the loudest voices in the world if you got her going. She's a really nice person, but... just what I need, a headache to add to my pains..."I know that, Lady Lilina! It's just I didn't realize how much..."

"Yes! He cares a lot for you! In fact, he..." She stopped quite suddenly and put her hands over her mouth. What...?

"He... what?"

"Never you mind! Anyway, you need to focus on recovering! We... um... really need to have our army at full strength as we're getting close to the Bern border!"

"Wow, we're that far already?"

"Yes! We engaged Lord Roartz at his castle two nights ago. We beat him, of course."

"You mean, you already had a battle? And, I wasn't able to participate..." Great. Not only did I fail to protect Master Roy properly, but now I'm also a liability.

"Yes, unfortunately, we've had to move on with you still in that condition. We had to place you in the supply convoy. Merlinus and Sister Ellen looked after you while we stormed General Roartz's castle. It almost killed Roy to go on fighting with you behind in such a vulnerable position, so he left the nomadic troopers to guard you. Speaking of which, I have to go see Roy. He wants me to go on a scouting mission with him today. He'll be so happy to hear that you're awake. Now, go to sleep and get better!" She raised the tent flap and turned to leave.

"Wait, Lilina!"

"What is it?"

"Master... er... sorry... Roy doesn't really like river salmon. He says it leaves a weird aftertaste. He loves ocean salmon. Just put some salt on the river salmon, and maybe a little bit of mint and berry juice and he won't taste the difference."

Lilina stared hard at me before stomping out of the tent with a huff. I thought I heard a faint "Boys!" as she left. What was that all about?

Well, this information put a new spin on things. Roy... was really worried about me? Wait, I'm putting him in great danger! He can't possibly focus on battle if... he's concerned about my welfare. His swordsmanship always suffers when he's thinking about something too much! He could be seriously injured! Some guardian you are, Wolt...

But, Roy was worried about me. He can't eat or sleep because he's too concerned for my well-being. I didn't know he cared so much about me... Now, Wolt, stop. You won't think about this again. This all started from that evil dream you had. That's right, it was an evil dream, caused by that druid's sleep staff. It was a _dream_! Master... Roy... doesn't feel that way about you. He likes Lilina. He told you so! You even walked in on their kissing! You will only hurt yourself if you keep thinking like this. You only had that one dream where the two of you were in... a compromising situation. That doesn't mean it's true; in fact, it will never be true. Stop now. Roy does not like you that way. Master Roy doesn't even like guys in general, so why would he pick you of all people? You're weak! You can't even properly defend him without becoming a bloody mess. I would... just be a burden...

Oh, great, now I can't fall asleep! Where's a good staff user when you need one? A sleep staff is the only way I could possibly fall asleep and get all these thoughts out of my head.

'I bet Roy could help you get to sleep, a nice warm body curled up against yours, a gentle wave of kisses against your neck. You should know all about it, sneaking into your mom's romance novel collection...'

"AAH! STOP IT! STOP!"

"Ah! I'm sorry! Are you changing?"

"Huh?" It took a while before I saw the silhouette of a bishop against the tent. "Oh! I'm so so sorry, Sister Ellen! I... wasn't talking to you! I was... talking to myself."

Sister Ellen seemed a bit frazzled as she entered the tent. Did I really say it that loud? "Screaming to yourself is more like it. What exactly were you talking to yourself about? And why is your face so flushed? Don't tell me you have a fever!"

"Uh... no, I'm not sick, and I... was just talking about... stuff... you know... a lion was climbing into my bed... I think it might have been a bad dream..."

"Uhuh." I doubt she believed me. I can't evade the truth very well... "Anyway, completely ignoring your little outburst, I managed to talk with Merlinus and he let me borrow Aureola for the day!" She pulled out of her satchel an ornately decorated book that looked very heavy. The moment it popped free from her bag, it took on an unearthly glow that lit up the tent. She then sat on a chair next to my cot, which I just realized was there, and promptly flipped to the first page. "Wow! I've never seen anything like this! Some of these things are just... 'How to Extend the Maximum Range for your Torch Staff: Great for Blinding Foes and Peeping Toms'... 'How to Make Your Lightning Even More Shocking'... She even has the documentation of how she figured out the Aureola spell! Amazing! Though, I can barely read it... Some of these symbols, I have never seen in my life!"

"Sister Ellen?"

"Oh? Ah, yes! Let's see... 'Techniques for Proper Removal of Arrow Wounds from the Softer Areas,' 'Wounds of the Heart: Hint, Have a Soft Shoulder!' ... Ahah! 'Mysterious Wounds that Require More... Oomph.'"

"Are those really the article titles?"

"St. Elimine is known for her... shall we say... uncommon word choice." Did she just wink at me? "Let's see, page 447, page 447... Here we go, page 447. Oh... what rotten luck..."

"What's the matter? Are the pages missing?"

"No, they are there all right, but the document is flooded with symbols that I don't know! I can't read it!"

I leaned over to look at the book. Wow. So complex and intricate... "Oh..." It just figures that something like this would happen to me. I leaned back against my pillow. Strange, I think my wish is coming true... I think I'm falling asleep... I feel funny at least... like I'm floating away like a balloon...

"No need to be discouraged, I'm sure Father Saul would know some of these symbols."

"Are... are the symbols just too 'yawn' hard?" My brain is going all tingly... so very tired...

"Hm? Oh, no, it's just that different areas and schools teach different characters. In Bern... we focus more on the symbols that are associated with attacking. I don't think it's the same in Lycia... Are you feeling alright, Wolt?"

-----

Ellen looked down at the snoozing sniper. 'He's still too weak to stay awake for long. My rambling must have put him to sleep!' She chuckled to herself before looking at the passage. 'I'd better go get Father Saul to give me a crash course in healing symbols. The whole army could depend on what's in this book. I don't think Roy could bear it if Wolt doesn't make it. He's spent almost this whole week at his bedside. I wonder... could there be something there?' Ellen closed the book and made her way out of the tent. 'Now, stop! Since when are you such the busybody? Stop poking into other people's love lives. Things will work out how they were meant to work out without your prying. And, besides, it's perfectly normal behavior for good friends, anyway!' She continued on her way down the row of tents toward Father Saul's tent. Strangely, there weren't any people or even sounds anywhere to be seen. It was rather scary, actually...

"It sure is quiet around here. I wonder where everyone is?"

"Ellen! Ellen!"

The bishop looked around to see who was calling her before she heard the unmistakable flapping of wyvern wings. She looked up to see Miredy landing her steed a few meters in front of her and performing a graceful flip for a dismount. "Lady Miredy! What is the big hurry?"  
"I was with Master Roy on his scouting mission. However, we met up with some enemies. They don't appear to be too difficult, but he sent me back here to get another healer just in case. He doesn't think Lady Lilina can handle a full-fledged healing position yet, and we'll need one if the battle escalates farther. Please, come with me!"

"Alright, alright. Just, stop by on Merlinus's convoy on the way. I'm afraid that I've used up all my healing staves from the last two battles."

"Sure thing!" The two of them mounted Trifynne and sped off toward the impending battle, with a certain bishop hanging on with her dear life.

"They really should implement a safety device on these things!"

Ehehe... I'm so sorry about the spacing issue. I thought I could get my indentations to stay this time... I don't like the space between paragraphs, but I guess I'll just have to live with it... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. This is just the beginning, setting the scene and all, so the real part is coming...hopefully. Constructive criticism would be most appreciated (emphasis on constructive)! If you couldn't tell, this is just after Ch. 20 of the Sacae route in the game.


	2. My tent flap is always open

Thank you everyone who reviewed and at least read it. Any and all feedback is much apprecitaed. But, being fellow authors, you know that, right? ;)_  
_

I don't own Fire Emblem. We've gone over this, yes?

Chapter 2

_"But, won't your father be angry?"_

_"Why? We're just practicing sword fighting! We'll be careful! Besides, we'll be in the garden, so we won't break anything this time!"_

_"I don't know..."_

_"Ah, c'mon, Wolt! It'll be fun!"_

_"Okay, I guess..."_

_"Yay! Let's go! I'm... Captain Fargus of the great pirate ship, Valor! And, you're my trusted first mate, Dart!"_

_"Aw, why am I always the sidekick!?"_

_"Because, he's your uncle. And, I said so, that's why! Arrgh! There be some treasure around here, matey!"_

_We were going to play pirates today, a game we played almost every day, if we weren't acting out some other part of Lord Eliwood's stories, or if Roy didn't have lessons. And, I was Dart, again! Roy always got to be the best people. But, still, those stories were so cool! And, I didn't mind being the sidekick because I still had fun. Mommy and Daddy were in the stories, too sometimes. Did you know that?_

_"Arrgh, first mate Dart, report on the location of me treasure!"_

_"Yes sir! It appears that this time, the treasure is located underneath the apple tree on the far side of the garden."_

_"No, no no! You're doing it all wrong! Give it a cool name, like... The treasure is buried under the tree of death protected by man-eating snakes on the island of Caledonia!"_

_"Okay, the treasure is... wherever you said."_

_"Under the tree of death, protected by man-eating snakes on the island of Caledonia."_

_"Yeah, there. All ready to set sail, cap'n!"_

_"Shove off, me matey, arrgh!"_

_We left the room and headed down the hallway, Roy was practically running with excitement. I had a hard time keeping up. All of the people in the castle stopped what they were doing and watched us as we passed by. I waved to everybody. And everybody waved back. I felt all warm and tingly when everybody smiled and waved at us. Being nice can be so fun!_

_We made it to the garden in one piece. The nasty sea serpents from the Dreaded Isle didn't catch us this time. A garden is a place with lots of plants and trees. Our garden has a lot of plants and trees. But, Roy keeps pretending that the plants are monsters that attack us. It's fun except sometimes we break the plants and then Mommy yells at us. She likes to take care of the plants in our garden. She says that if we cut off some branches or take off some leaves, it hurts the plants. I don't want to hurt the plants, but Roy doesn't seem to mind. I want to stop him, but Roy doesn't listen to me sometimes._

_"Arrgh, first mate Dart! There appears to be a hideous beast guarding the treasure. We need to be careful! The evil Gorgon can turn you to stone if she looks at you!"_

_"Gorgon? Hideous? Whatever are you talking about? I think if anything I should be the damsel in distress!"_

_"AH! Don't listen to her! She's trying to trick us! Don't look!"_

_"Um... Hi, Mommy!"_

_"No! Don't fall for it! No, Dart!"_

_Mommy was picking some of the apples from the apple tree. They looked very big and very delicious. I don't really like apples, though. I like pears better. But, Roy loves apples. And, he thinks pears are disgusting. I told this to Daddy. He said that Roy doesn't know what he's missing and that it's okay that Roy and I don't like the same things._

_But, I don't like being different. I like doing the same things as Roy. _

_I walked over to see what else was in her bag. When I looked in, she grabbed me. I started laughing as she was tickling me._

_I'm very ticklish. But, not as ticklish as Roy. I always win tickle fights._

_"Dart! NO! I won't forgive you, you evil creature!" Roy drew his sword and pointed it at Mommy. She stopped tickling me and put me down._

_"Ah! The little human is attacking me! Go, minion, take care of him for me!" She pushed me forward. I also drew my sword and crossed it with Roy's._

_"So, Dart, you traitor! You were working for the evil Gorgon all along! Well, I wasn't fooled a minute! Let's go!" Roy started out by slashing forward. I blocked and pushed his sword away. We continued like this for a long time. Since we battle all the time, we both know what we were going to do, so it was very hard to win. Except, that Roy recently learned how to do a stabbing motion from his dad. He kept winning every time he did it. So, I asked Daddy what I should do._

_Roy started to motion for the stabbing technique. I parried the thrust away, but Roy was still moving forward. Just like Daddy said. As he moved forward, I did a quick sweeping motion with my leg. Roy tripped and went flying into a nearby bush._

_"Yay! My hero!" Mommy came over and picked me up again. She seemed very happy. I looked over to the bush where Roy landed. Mommy did also. She dropped me and went over to make sure Roy was okay. He stood up. I laughed. He had some leaves in his hair. He looked very silly._

_"It's lucky you only play with wooden swords. I didn't realize you two played so roughly!" I looked around to see who said that. But, Roy saw her before I did._

_"Grandma!" Roy quickly brushed off the leaves and ran over and hugged her. Mommy and I walked over to greet her._

_"How are you today, Lady Eleanora?"_

_"Ah, my! Miss Rebecca, your son is so polite! I am doing very well today, young sir knight! I was cheering for you the whole time, you know."_

_"Aw, but grandma, what about me?"_

_"I've been watching the two of you for a while. You aren't treating your friend very nicely, mister! You need to be less demanding!"_

_"It's quite all right, Lady Eleanora. I don't mind. Roy is my best friend and we always have fun together!"_

_"Ah, please. You don't need to be so formal with me. You and Roy are always together, it's no wonder you two aren't brothers. You can call me grandma, too."_

_"Really?"_

_"Erm... Lady Eleanora, maybe you shouldn't.."_

_"Miss Rebecca, I am well aware of who he is. I personally do not see what that has to do with what he can call me. He has grown up here in this household, and will probably be here his whole life. I've had enough of these class strifes in my life."_

_"Very well, Lady Eleanora. If you wish."_

_"And that goes double for you! My sister devoted her life to the church and Lord Elbert was an only child. Which means I have room in my family for a niece..."_

_"Are... you really sure...?"_

_"From now on, it's Aunt Eleanora, or whatever term of endearment you wish. I am not the Marchioness of Pherae any more. I am just an old woman. As far as I am concerned you are my family..."_

_Roy and I were getting bored listening to Mommy and Grandma talk, so we left to walk around in the garden. Roy seemed a little mad. He wasn't talking to me, at least._

_"Are you all right, Roy? I didn't mean to..."_

_"I'm okay."_

_"Um...okay..." He said it very short, and he sounded hurt. I stopped him and looked him over. There was a small cut on his arm. "Look! You're bleeding!"_

_"Wolt, I'm okay!" He pulled his arm away from me. He looks like he is going to cry._

_"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Roy just crossed his arms and pouted. But, his cut is still bleeding! He could die!_

_I remembered something Mommy did when I got cut. She ripped a piece of her clothing and wrapped it around my cut and it stopped bleeding. So, I ripped off part of my shirt sleeve and grabbed Roy's arm. He didn't stop me. I wrapped the piece of my shirt around his arm. "Does it feel better?"_

_"Wolt, I..."_

_"Roy! Roy! Where are you? It's time for your horseback riding lesson!"_

_"That's my mom. I've got to go. Can we play later?"_

_"Sure!" _

_Roy turned around and walked away. I watched him run up to his mommy on the other side of the garden. She saw the shirt piece around his arm. They looked over where I was. I quickly hid along another path. I don't know why. I just felt like it._

_Since Roy was busy, I decided to just sit here and look at the flowers. They were very pretty. I think I know why Mommy likes the plants so much._

"Wolt, how are you doing?"

_I looked up. My daddy was there, in his armor. "Hi, Daddy! How was your meeting with Lord Eliwood?"_

"Wolt, I'm not your father. I think you should wake up now."

_"Huh? What are you talking about, Daddy?"_

"Wolt. Please wake up."

My eyes popped open. I wasn't in the garden of Castle Pherae. I was in my tent. I turned over in my bed. Sir Marcus was sitting next to my bed, looking at me.

"How was your nap?"

"How long were you waiting?"

"I've been here for a while. I was listening to you talk in your sleep. I take it you were reliving a memory?"

"Yes. It was just a memory of Roy and me playing like we always did. Only, I think it was about a few days before the..."

"I understand. You don't need to bring that up. Anyway, I came over to see how you were doing, and to see if I could ask you a favor."

"Oh, well, I think I'm okay. My wound is healing, and it doesn't hurt as much anymore. The healers just want to be careful as they don't know why their magic isn't working as well as it should. They just want to make sure I'm not under the influence of any curse or anything."

"That sounds reasonable. So, you'll be up and ready by the time we face Bern proper?"

"I guess so. Lilina says that we are very close, yes?"

"We are within a few days march from the border. It will be an uphill battle from here. Do you think you can handle it?"

"I... I don't..."

"There you go again, with that lack of confidence! How can you possibly expect to be Roy's main keeper with that attitude? I can't retire until I know that my Lord Roy will be with competent hands!"

"That's just it! How will I know if I'm competent enough? I can't even protect him without becoming a bloody mess! I'm..."

"You will stop right there!" I could feel the violence of his voice. It shocked me completely out of train of thought. "Please, if you want proof that you're capable, you just answered yourself! Think about it, isn't this your first major injury?"

"Well... now that I think about it..."

"Exactly. And, would you mind showing me around camp and pointing out all these so-called people who are better than you that have not received an injury so far at all this campaign?"

"Um...well..."

"Wolt, this is exactly what I've been telling you! No one is perfect, everyone has off days! I admit, back when I first started out with Lord Elbert, I received my fair share of bumps and bruises. But, I kept going. Each scrape was a sign that I could improve. They made me a great soldier."

I had to look him over. His armor indeed was bent and bruised in certain places. But, this was the main caretaker of Pherae. He was still able to put the enemies in their place when most men his age can barely walk anymore. "Wow, that was a powerful speech."

"If you need more proof that you're ready, look at your arm. Lord Roy told me what happened. And, I can say that I'm impressed. Not many members of this army would fling themselves into harm's way to save Master Roy, I'm afraid to say. I think you'll be a perfect vassal!"

"Yeah... a perfect... vassal..." Unfortunately for me, Sir Marcus's speech about... Roy... was only reminding me how much I wanted to be more than just a vassal to Lord Roy... Stop. Please try to stop.

"Exactly! You're the same age, and you're even the best friends! You know all about Master Roy."

"Stop, please. I don't think that's true anymore..."

"What are you saying? Who used to run around the entire castle like a pair of peas in a pod? Who were the completely inseparable duo that terrorized Castle Pherae from dawn 'til dusk?"

"I'm sorry, Sir Marcus, but it isn't like that anymore. For a while, in fact, we've been drifting apart... I can tell. Our conversations aren't like friends anymore. They mostly consist of battle plans and tactics..."

"Well, what else can you expect? We're in a war!"

"I know, but... even before the war started. As we grew older, Roy and I... we just aren't the same as we used to be."

Marcus frowned at me. He seemed quite puzzled. He stared off into the distance, or specifically, the canvas wall of my tent where my quiver was hung up.

"Um, Sir Marcus, are you alright?"

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot what I was going to say."

I didn't know what to say to that. I guess it's another part of growing old... I hope I don't have memory problems when I'm older.

But, I decided not to bring up the topic again. Roy and I really have been... going our separate ways recently. Ever since... he met Lilina. I know why Roy has been distancing himself from me since then, and I don't blame him. I haven't told anybody why though. It really hurts not to be close to him, especially since this... crush of sorts appeared, but I don't want to force him to face his problems.

Not until he was ready, anyway.

"Wolt, if I remember correctly, I'm the old man here. I have a right to space out sporadically. However, you don't!"

"Oh, sorry!" I dragged my mind into the present time frame. "I do believe you were going to tell me about a favor you wanted of me?"

"Ah, yes, now I remember! Well, it's part of being a loyal vassal, a very important part if you ask me!"

"Yes?"

"...I want you to find a good wife for Lord Roy."

"WHAT?" Of all things, I was not expecting that. Did he really just say...?

"Yes, that's correct. I completely set up Lord Elbert and Lady Eleanora. I also saw Lord Eliwood's relationship and pushed it along. However, I'm just not close enough to Lord Roy to even attempt anything. I've tried this whole trip, but all of my attempts have failed miserably. You, on the other hand, know Lord Roy. You can find a suitable spouse for him! I'm sure of it."

"But...but..."

"Wolt, I'm sorry, but I just seem to have lost my touch. I mean, I thought Roy and Lilina would be perfect for each other..."

"Wait, wait, wait...did you just say Roy and Lilina?"

"Yes. I thought that Roy had feelings for Lilina. I mean they spend so much time together... so, I led Lilina on, hoping that they could take it themselves. I was wrong. The moment was perfect..."  
"Hold on. Did this happen to have been when we were returning from the Western Isles?"

"Why, yes, how did you know?"

"Never mind, please continue." Well, this explains how I saw the two of them kissing.

"It was a perfect moment. They were on the bow of the ship, and the sun was just setting."

"The breeze was blowing just slightly..."

"Of course. You seem to know a lot about this romance stuff, huh?"

"No, I was there. I saw them kissing."

"What? No you weren't! I didn't see you anywhere!"

"Wait, were you spying on them?"

"...Okay, so I was! I was behind the crates on the starboard side."

Peeping on a couple certainly doesn't seem like behavior befitting an old man... "I was there long enough to see them kissing. I went to ask Lord Roy a question about a certain battle tactic he had me perform during our invasion of Lord Arcard's castle. They seemed really into it, so I turned around and left them alone. By the way, what happened afterward?" Then again, gossiping isn't exactly the best behavior befitting a proper servant...

"Well, Roy broke it off soon after it started. At first, it seemed like he had spotted an enemy, because he looked around anxiously, and then..."

He paused for a moment. Agh, just when he got to the juicy portion... "Yes?"

"Wolt, what were we talking about, again?"

AAHH!! Calm down, Wolt! It's not his fault that he is like that! Just breathe... "We were about to say good-bye. You were just saying that you needed to help Merlinus compile a full supply record."

"Oh, my! You're quite right! Lord Roy really wanted that report done by the time he returned from his scouting mission! And, he left a long time ago and I haven't started! I'd better go. Rest well, Wolt!" And... he was gone. Just like that. I didn't mean to be mean, but...

'sigh' So, Roy was on this scouting mission. Again, more proof that we're drifting apart. He didn't even tell me what he was going off to search for, much less invite me to participate!

Oh wait. I was unconscious for the past week. Well, he still should have left a note... or something...

This is getting boring. I can't just keep taking naps until someone decides to pop in and see how I'm doing and then inadvertently mess up my emotions! I can't take this...

"Hey, kiddo! How are you doing on this fine day?"

"Hello, Father Saul. I guess I'm doing okay. Sister Ellen was here this morning and said I am recovering well."

"That's good to hear. You were out like a light for a whole week! If you had slept for one more day, then I think we would've been very worried!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize! It's not your fault, it's the rather harsh fighting technique of the Sacaen swordsman to blame. I managed to decode the passage in Aureola and I found out what's wrong, though I could have just asked Rutgar, since he knows all about it."

"Really?" A conversation that will actually give me some answers...Yay!

"Apparently, it's a common practice for Sacaen swordsmen to dip their swords in Pure Water before major battles. The Pure Water from the sword seeps through the wound and prevents any sort of magic from affecting it, most specifically healing magic. I find that to be a trifle unfair, myself."

"So, I was just attacked by one of these Pure Water swords?"

"Yep! If you want proof..." He reached for his pouch and pulled out his Divine tome...

"Erm, no thanks! I'll take your word for it!" He really was going to attack me? This day needs to end...now.

"Say, though, you don't think you could help me with a problem, do you? While I'm here..."

"Um... okay, just... what favor could you possibly want from me?" Please don't tell me this favor is romance related...

"Well, it's just that... Dorothy and I had a bit of an argument recently... and... I was wondering... if there were some way I could possibly make up for it? Because... she means a lot to me."

"And, you're coming to me, why? Isn't she good friends with Clarine?"

"Well, you're an archer. And, she's an archer. I just thought... maybe... is there something that an archer would really need and that would show that I put a lot of effort into it?"

'sigh' I'm not the best person to come to for gift advice. Sure, I know Dorothy pretty well, but not _that_ well. "Well... recently, she's been complaining about the quality of the bowstrings we've been using. She doesn't like the Ilian wool that the Sacaens use because it chafes her fingers."

"Alright, got it! New bowstrings! Er...any particular kind you would recommend?"

"Well, Bern silk is widely regarded as the best string material, and you'd probably be able to find some at a local store as we're very close to the border... but, they're rather expensive..."

"Alright. Bern silk bowstrings. Got it. Thank you very much for your help, Wolt. Oh, and by the way, according to Aureola, the pure water should dissipate sometime soon, so we can have your arm healed up in a jiffy, OK?" I nodded and waved good-bye to him. He turned to leave, only to bump into Lady Sue, who was at the tent opening.

"Father...Saul..."

"Whatever is the matter, my dear?" It was at this point that we both noticed the large sword scrape across her stomach, and the two arrows protruding out of her back. Father Saul and I rushed to catch her as she collapsed.


	3. Going to help Master Roy

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, or at least took the time to read the story.

I don't own Fire Emblem...blah blah...yadda yadda.

Chapter 3

'cough' Mommy says I have infoorenzo. It's a very bad sickness. I hate being sick. I can't do anything when I'm sick. I can't go outside and play with Roy. I can't even leave my room. 'cough' And, no one can come visit me. Because then they will be sick, too. I'm not the only one who's sick. Roy's mommy and grandma are sick, too. So are a lot of the villagers. So, I'm stuck in my room with nothing to do and no one to talk with.

'cough' So, I'm reading books. Daddy always says I should read more. I can't understand some of the words, though. I write down the words that I don't know on a piece of paper. Then, when Mommy or Daddy comes in to make sure that I'm okay, I show them the list, and they tell me what the words mean. 'cough' 'cough'

But, today, I'm not reading. That's because I'm so sick, I don't think I can get out of bed to get the books. My throat hurts really bad. And, my chest feels funny...

And, I feel really cold.

"Hey, kiddo! How are we doing today?"

" 'cough' 'cough' Hello... Daddy..." My voice sounds very weerd. Weerd is a new word that I learned. It means 'strange'.

"Ick! I don't like the sound of that! You sound really sick. Too sick I think for some nice juicy pears..." Daddy likes pears, too.

" 'cough' I'm sorry... I'm not... hungry... today..." I don't like this infoorenzo thing. It hurts really badly when I cough.

"Hmm..." Daddy started feeling my face. He does that sometimes when I get sick. His hand feels warm and nice.

Daddy doesn't seem happy. He's not smiling anymore. He seems very worried. He shouldn't be worried. I'm gonna get better. Mommy said so. And she knows everything.

"Daddy...?"

"Don't worry kiddo! Everything will be all right!" He's smiling again. But, the smile isn't as big as he usually smiles. He walked out of the room. But, just outside the door, he started talking with Mister Marcus. Mister Marcus sounded very concerned. He said something to Daddy and they both started running down the hallway.

I wonder what that was about? But, they never tell me anything...

'cough' 'cough' I don't have anything to do now. I'm all alone.

Maybe I'll take another nap.

Someone is crying... I can't sleep now because someone is crying very loudly. And, I'm very tired. I want to go back to sleep.

My door opened. It's Roy. Roy is crying. I wonder why Roy is crying.

He calms down after a little bit. He just comes to the side of my bed and sits down.

"Roy, why are you crying? You shouldn't be here. 'cough' 'cough' You might get sick."

Roy stops sobbing and looks at me. "Mommy... Mom... she... she... Daddy said that I can't see Mommy anymore. She said that... Mommy is just sleeping. Why can't I see Mommy?"

I didn't know what to say. I don't know why Roy can't see his Mommy if she's sleeping. Fortunately, my mommy appeared at the door. She can help Roy with his problem. "Roy, it's okay. Your mom is just in... another place. A better place than here. You'll see her some day..."

"But... why can't I see her now?"

"Roy, please. Let's go outside and talk. We don't want to bother Wolt."

"No!" Roy's screaming hurt my ears. I feel very tired. 'cough' 'cough' "Mommy was sick. And, now I can't see her anymore! Wolt is sick. I want to see Wolt again! I want to play with Wolt again when he gets better! I... I'm not leaving."

"Roy... 'cough' "

"Ah! What is it, Wolt?"

"I don't want you to get sick, too. 'cough' And, I'm really tired. I want to go to sleep."

"NO!" I must have said something bad because Roy started crying again. And, he was hugging me. "Mommy... 'sob'... Mommy said the same thing! And, now... 'sob' she's not going to wake up!" Mommy tried to take Roy out of the room. But, Roy held on to me really tightly. He started to hurt me.

'cough' 'cough' Something was wrong. It's hurting very much now when I cough. This red stuff came out of my mouth when I coughed, too. Mommy didn't seem to like it, as she almost threw Roy off of me to get to me. Roy just stood there shocked.

"Mommy... Mommy also had blood coming out of her mouth..."

Mommy put my head on her lap and started rocking me. She seems very worried. I think she is crying. She is now screaming for people to come help. I'm so tired...

"Please, don't leave me, Wolt. Please, live!"

"Wolt! Promise me you will wake up! Please don't be like Mommy!"

I can't speak anymore. But, I promise that I'll wake up. I promise... Roy...

"Well, then you'd better do it now! I don't want you lying out here all day!"

Huh?

Grass and dirt were the first things I saw when I came to. I remember! Father Saul shooed me out of the tent when Lady Sue appeared, and...

I fell asleep again. My memories seem to be attacking me today. I wonder why...

I looked up from my position on the ground. Father Saul seemed a bit worried as he looked me over.

"You were coughing in your sleep. Please tell me you aren't sick as well as injured!"

"No... I was just reliving a memory in my sleep. When I had influenza..."

"Ah. I do that sometimes too. I'm assuming you were ill when we had that terrible outbreak a few years back?"

"Yes. I... was the only one in the Pherean household to survive the disease. I had progressed to the pneumonia stage, yet I survived, which was a miracle, even though... I was unconscious for two weeks. My mother never gave up hope for me. Roy's mother and grandmother... they caught it and died relatively quickly. And, my father also caught it and died while I was unconscious..."

"Oh, my! It sounds like you had a rough time... All of those deaths, and so early..." He reached out a hand to help me off the ground.

"Not as much as Roy. He couldn't take losing his mom, grandma, and best friend. Lord Eliwood decided to take him to visit Ostia to get away from all the sadness."

"Is that where Lord Roy and Lady Lilina met for the first time?"

"Yes, but please, enough about that. How's Lady Sue?" I motioned to the tent.

"Fortunately, her injuries were shallow and appear to be Pure Water free. She's just fine, but needs her rest. She won't be rejoining the battle any time soon. I need to go see what's going on. Please, look after her." Father Saul departed with a bow, and quickly made his way to the center of camp.

I went inside the tent. Lady Sue was comfortably sleeping in Shin's cot. I sat down in the chair to look at her. She had a large bandage around her stomach area, but she otherwise looked fine. I sat in the chair staring at her for some time, spacing out of reality.

A sharp snort brought me to my senses. "Yŏng Jū! What are you doing?" She was attempting to nuzzle the tent flap open, probably so she could check up on her rider. Pretty smart for a horse, if you ask me.

I went over to her and started to pet her nose. She started to pat me back. Sue had a very friendly horse, I can tell you that. Though, she can be a bit mischievous at times. Sue tried to teach me how to shoot a bow properly from atop a horse... I don't think it was my fault I kept falling off.

As I was petting Sue's horse, my eyes kept being drawn to Sue's Killer Bow that still hung on to the side of Yŏng Jū. And, my thoughts started to turn toward the battle. Sue normally has impressive reflexes. Very few things can hit her if she's having a good day, and everything else won't live to even see her if she isn't. If she managed to get this injured, then everyone else... Roy...

Let's stop right here. Other people far more healthy than you are in this camp. They can take care of the battle if it gets out of hand. Besides, it might just be Sue that was injured...

But, what if everyone else doesn't know that the battle is going badly... What if you don't do something, and... Roy could be seriously injured...

Or worse?

Well, Wolt, let's just see. This'll be the test. If you can shoot Sue's bow properly, then you can go. If not, you stay here.

Okay, let's do this. I unhooked the Killer Bow and walked outside. I espied a tree down at the end of the row of tents a little ways away. There's a good target. I cautiously scanned for any other people in the area. No one? Good. I drew an arrow from the quiver and cocked it to the bow.

A searing pain through my arm from merely holding up the bow stopped me from proceeding further.

However, Yŏng Jū continued to nuzzle my arm. She seemed like she wanted me to go. But, I couldn't even hold up the bow and arrow! How could I possibly help?

I then remembered the Sacaen bow techniques that Sue was trying to teach me. It didn't involve pulling back the arrow and letting it go. It involved using... interesting hand positions to hold and then release the arrow. It involved the whole body, more or less, so maybe it would place less stress on my arm?

With some difficulty, I managed to set up the cumbersome hold and shoot the arrow without any pain. The arrow missed the tree by inches, but my mind was already past that technicality and having me mount Yŏng Jū. One second could be the difference...

Ow! Never try to get up on a horse with an injured arm... ow...

Okay, let's see... to get the horse moving... you... squeeze the sides? Apparently, she knew what I wanted her to do and started to trot down the camp. Okay, let's get to the battle and save Master Roy!

We were going along nicely through the center of camp. There was no one around, which helped. We were passing by the stables toward the edge of the camp, when I saw another horse starting to trot ahead of us. Uh oh, how do you stop again? "Ah!"

"Woah!" The two horses almost collided, if it weren't for the rider of the other horse pulling sharply away, almost crashing into the stable tent wall.

"I'm so sorry, sir! I'm sort of new at this..."

"Wolt? Is that you? What are you doing out of bed?"

"Ah, hello, Sir Noah! And, Lady Fir!" I could recognize the knight by his dark blue armor. And, the female swordmaster that was hanging on a little too closely behind him also helped.

"Wolt. What are you doing?" Sir Noah had pulled his horse alongside mine so we were relatively equal.

At this point, I didn't care if Sir Noah decided to drag me back to Father Saul afterwards. My mind was already made up. I was going to that battle and I was going to help Master Roy. There are no if's, and's or but's. "I am going to the battle to help them out."

"Really? That's where we're headed, too, but... are you sure you want to head into battle in your... night clothes?" Ehehe... I didn't realize I was still wearing my sky-blue top and pants that constituted my pajamas until Lady Fir pointed it out...

"Well... time is of the essence... And, I'm an archer. I don't really need armor, do I? It would just slow me down..."

"You are right. Can you shoot a bow with your injury?"

"Yes. If I couldn't I wouldn't be heading out."

"Alright, then. We can't really stop you. Just, let's stick close together. You need protection, and we could use a good cover, as my horse can't really manuever well with the two of us. And, be very careful." Wow. He is actually letting me go with him to the battle! This is great!

We started going faster and faster along toward where the battle was. I didn't really know where that was, so I just let Sir Noah and Yŏng Jū guide me.

"So, Wolt. Why are you going to the battle?" I guess Fir was talking to me to pass the time as Sir Noah was steering the horse and I was letting Yŏng Jū do most of the work...

"Well, Lady Sue came into my tent pretty seriously injured. It was lucky that Father Saul was there! I figured that since she was really badly injured..."

"I see. I understand. Sir Noah and I were sparring near the stables when Sir Lance and Sir Allen rode up to us, really hurt. In fact, they were both passed out and their horses were steering them. We rushed them over to Lady Clarine, before Sir Noah and I decided to go help out at the battle. We were on our way when we ran into you."

Wow. Allen and Lance are the tag-team duo that usually decimate enemies together. If they're injured... and Lady Sue... something isn't right...

"Ah! Wyvern Riders!"

I could see the dragons high in the sky, clad in red that was the symbol of the Bern army. However, I could also see two wyverns in blue that were clashing with them. Good ol' Miredy and Zeiss.

The sounds of clashing swords and weapons grew ever nearer as we reached a particularly wooded area. Fir dismounted Noah's horse, and the two said their good-byes as they rushed off to join the main battle front.

I decided to head in the opposite direction. I'm here to find Roy, not get involved in the battle proper. My job as an archer is to go on stealth missions and pick off the enemies one by one...

The first enemy that I saw was a Myrmidon taking a drink from a small stream to my right. I tried to sneak past him. I didn't want to attack him with his guard down. However, he heard the horse's hooves and started for me. I reached for my bow and tried to quickly notch an arrow. My first attempt missed completely. How do you aim with this bow hold? Uh-oh he's getting closer... C'mon run, Yŏng Jū!

Unfortunately, an arrow coming from a wooden thicket to my front and left kind of prevented that strategy. The arrow, seemingly coming from nowhere, spooked Yŏng Jū and... I ended up eating dirt. Or, if you prefer, having dirt shoved down my throat. Great, I'm in trouble. By the time I got myself into at least a crawling position, the Myrmidon was standing right above me. My bow was on the ground, a few feet away from me; too far to reach in time. I could see his smile, a very eerie smile as he raised his sword to kill me. I flinched and watched him in the corner of my eye as the sword went above his head.

It wasn't my time to go, but rather his. A huge sword came spinning out of nowhere and sliced his neck asunder. It lodged itself in a nearby tree, the swordfighter's head hanging by his long hair that was pinned by the sword. The headless body fell backwards to the ground, blood flying everywhere.

I think I'm going to be sick. It doesn't matter how many battles I'm in. I can never get used to all the blood...

"Wolt, are you all right?"

I turned to face my savior. I almost bumped into him, as I did not realize that he had bent down to my level. "Ah, Sir Oujay! I'm so thankful! Thank you! If it weren't for you..."

"Yes, I know. I took care of the nomad that shot at you before. I thought I would be too late. I hope you are well?" He offered a hand to help me up.

"Yes, thank you. Erm, do you mind... guarding me? I'm not exactly fully recovered yet... I'm here to find Master Roy."

"Not at all. In fact, I'm also searching for him as well. You can help cover me from any surprise Wyvern attacks. My Steel Axe has broken already, I'm down to measly Hand Axes in that regard. And, there's no sir. It's just Oujay. I'm not exactly the kind of person one would call 'sir.' "

"Okay!" I watched Oujay pull his sword out of the tree, freeing the head to roll away. I freaked. However, he simply wiped his sword from the blood on the enemy's tunic and started to walk away. First, though, I made sure that Yŏng Jū left and headed back to camp. I have protection now, so there's no need to get her into danger. Sue would kill me literally if anything happened to her. I grabbed my bow and followed Oujay closely, and we made our way onward in the direction I was initially going.

As we walked along, I learned from him how the battle had progressed. Originally, our group had only encountered one group. However, five more groups emerged from all sides, and eventually cut off our group into three main groups. Oujay's group was winning, so he was sent to find Master Roy. We were going to the area where Roy was last seen.

We traveled through the woods a little ways until we came to a clearing. A small band of two Nomads and a Trooper were there, probably relaxing from the battle. They spotted Oujay and I immediately.

The skirmish didn't last too long. Oujay was upon them almost instantly. I merely stayed on the sidelines, picking them off with arrows. I eventually realized how to aim properly, and I was getting somewhat good results now. It didn't take that long to dispose of them.

We then continued along in silence... until...

"Say, Wolt. You're friends with Master Roy, correct?"

"Yes, in fact, he and I were best friends throughout our childhoods. Why do you ask?"

"Ah, good. So, you must know Lady Lilina well, then?"

"I guess. We're friends. But, we don't really talk that much. Lady Lilina is best friends with Master Roy now. I really only know her through Roy. Why do you ask?"

"Well... I really want to get her something nice, though I don't really know what."

Pathetic, isn't it? Even in the middle of a battle, the topic of romance isn't letting me go. Why is this day... so infuriating? I want it to end right now.

Apparently, I must have made some facial expression regarding my... displeasure, because Oujay was quick to pick it up. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I didn't realize it would be a bad topic..."

"Oh no, it isn't your fault. It's just... the subject of romance hasn't really left me alone today. You aren't the first person to come to me for love advice."

Strangely enough, he started blushing. Wha...? "Please! It isn't like that! Besides, I'm just a poor commoner! Lady Lilina couldn't possibly love me! I just... I told Lady Lilina of my poor heritage. And, some time later, when we were in Aqualeia, I received a letter from my family. Apparently, the royal family of Ostia had donated 50,000 gold to my village!"

"Wow. Lady Lilina...?"

"Yes. I really want to find a way to thank her, some how. Because of her, everyone in my family and village can eat for the whole year. But, I don't think I can come up with a gift that can match that. Lady Lilina... has enough money that she can afford to have whatever she wants. I don't know what to do..."

"Well... I don't know. Like I said, I'm not exactly the best person to be asking this to. Master Roy knows her much better than I do. But, I do know that she really likes to read new spell books. Especially Aircalibur. Maybe you could buy her a new spell book...? But, no that wouldn't nearly be at the level of present you want...Hn. I don't really know what to do, Oujay... Sir Oujay?" I looked around. Oujay was not walking with me anymore. What? I turned around to see where he was and barely missed being cut in two by a huge Steel Sword. I looked into the flaring red eyes of my attacker.

It was at this moment that I realized how vulnerable I really was. I was wearing absolutely no armor, only nightclothes that gave me a defensive value of... zero. All I had was a flimsy metal bow, which I couldn't even use to parry properly because my arm flared with pain every time that I used it in the slightest effort.

And now, my guardian, a very skilled Hero with considerable offensive prowess, not to mention a giant sword, was under the influence of a Berserk spell, and I'm the only victim around to possibly take the brunt of his aggression.


	4. Berserk staffs are fun! Not

I'm so sorry that this is so late! But, I went on vacation, and then Twilight Princess took all my free time for a week... I'm sorry.

I don't own the franchise of Fire Emblem; that's Intelligent Systems/Nintendo's job. I am not them.

Chapter 4

I had to act quickly. Oujay really looked really pumped. And, most of my up-close archer defense techniques involved severely hurting the enemy, like driving an arrow with your hand into their face... you get the idea. They're out of the question.

He dove forward with his sword. I jumped away as far as I could, which was far enough. I then ran into the trees as he pulled his sword out of the ground. Please forget about me. Please forget about me. Please forget about me.

The deadening crunch of an old tree splitting in half behind me crushed that hope.

Luckily, since I was only wearing my pajamas and boots (a strange combination, by the way), and since the Killer Bow wasn't particularly heavy, I was much quicker than Oujay, who was burdened with various weapons and armor and a hefty sword and shield.

He seemed to realize that too, as I ducked behind trees, he calmly walked forward– well, about as calm as you can walk with bloodlust being your main intent. Needless to say, I was scared out of my wits. This seemed like something from those scary stories Rei always tells around the campfire. Oh boy...

After a few more minutes of this dodging and walking, we eventually happened upon a large clearing... Oh great, we're out of the woods! This isn't good...

I spun around after taking quite a few steps away from the forest's edge. Where was he? Where was he?

Turning back around, my vision was overwhelmed by blue hair and green clothing as I ran into a hard, muscular torso and fell to the floor.

I quickly looked up at my friend turned to-be executioner. He stared back with those eyes with the flaming red aura. We remained like that for a little while, each one gauging what the other was going to do, waiting for the slightest movement...

I wasn't expecting a swift movement from the left hand to grab me. He pulled me up by the lapel of my night tunic with one hand. Despite all of my struggling, he still held me firmly, while lifting his sword with the other hand and smirking, as if taunting me that I couldn't run away anymore. Apparently, berserked people aren't mindless maniacs after all...

I was panicking now. My bow had clattered to the floor, and in the position I was in, I couldn't reach my quiver. So, I did the only thing that I could do.

I bit his hand. Hard.

It apparently worked because two seconds later I collapsed onto the floor. I quickly scrambled a few feet away and looked back at him.

Oujay just stood there, watching his hand as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Then, he darted his eyes back to me.

Great. Now he's even _angrier_...

He charged with his sword in front, ready to gut me. Uh-oh...

I sidestepped with as much force as I could muster. It worked only partly because I missed the sword, but my left hand (thankfully it wasn't my injured one) caught on the torso that followed it and swung my body around to smack his in the back.

I hung on to him for dear life. He couldn't angle his sword to get me as long as I clung to his back. Unfortunately, this also caused him to thrash around like crazy to get me off. I put every bit of adrenaline that was pouring into my system into my grip. But, my hands are all sweaty... I'm slipping...

"_Pravum morbum purga!"_

The spell caused Oujay to collapse onto the floor, and me with him, face planting into his blue hair, and smashing into his back.

I quickly threw myself off of him so he could get up. Calm, crystalline blue eyes met my green ones with confusion. Phew, I'm glad that's over with...

"WOLT! What _are _you doing here!?"

I could see Sister Ellen's blue and white robes flowing with her fury as she stomped up towards us. I think I'm in trouble.

"You are _very lucky, mister!_ If I hadn't had the inkling to bring a Restore Staff with me... who knows what could have happened!?"

"I'm sorry, Sister Ellen..."

"Sorry? _Sorry?_ If you were sorry, you wouldn't be here right now! You would be back at camp like I told you to be!"

I stood there, trying my best to look like a kicked puppy. Unfortunately, Sister Ellen wasn't falling for the sympathy act, and continued berating me. Oujay had gotten up off the floor and stood next to me. I guess he figured out what had happened because he had placed an arm on my shoulder. I guess it was a gesture of "Are you all right?".

"Now, I want you to accompany him to camp please, Oujay. And, make sure he stays there!"

"Yes, sister Ellen."

"Now, if you will excuse me, I must be heading back to the front. Someone else might be in trouble..."

I had a hard time grasping what Sister Ellen's words were saying. Not because I didn't want to go back to camp, but because of the rather large dragon-shaped shadow that was flitting around behind her. I looked up. A stray Wyvern Lord had found us. And, he looked like he was about to throw something.

"Sister Ellen! Look out!"

Luckily my scream alerted more than just Sister Ellen. Just as the rider threw the Javelin, Oujay deftly threw a Hand Axe of his own. It neatly split the javelin, causing two wooden stubs to clatter harmlessly in the floor in front of us. I quickly cocked my bow and shot at him. It got the wyvern right through the heart. It started spiraling down toward the ground. Yet suddenly, as it was falling, it burst into flames. As it hit the ground, the flames completely engulfed the body, leaving ashes behind about a minute later.

"Are you guys okay?" A blue figure with flowing hair and cape ran up to us. Take three guesses who it was.

"Hello, Lady Lilina. Yes, we're fine. Wolt had already pierced the dragon's heart, so your spell only disposed of the body, I guess."

"Wolt?" She looked around until she finally caught sight of me. She then stomped right up to me so that her face was inches away from mine. Not another lecture... "What are you doing here?" Calmly, quietly... she must be steamed.

"I... I was looking for Master Roy. I had a feeling he might be in trouble."

"That's NO EXCUSE! You are _injured! _You need _rest!_" She grabbed my hand and started dragging me. Was she going to drag me all the way to camp?

"Master Roy has been really worried about you! I should know since he's been bugging me all week! If he knew you were here... he would be so worried! You would be neglecting your duties as a vassal, causing your charge much unneeded stress and worry!"

Oujay and Sister Ellen were walking quietly behind us.

Another large dragon-shaped shadow appeared on the ground in front of us. I looked up. It was showing the colors of our army. Phew, we don't have to deal with that again.

"Guys! Guys!" It was Lady Miredy. She parked her dragon on the ground in front of us.

"Lady Miredy! What is the matter?"

"I'd like to announce that we are victorious, at least on our side of things. The main force has disposed of five of the group leaders for certain. We don't know where the sixth is, but considering there are no more enemy troops, we can assume that he is defeated. We are regrouping on the road that leads to camp from here. I'm going around and rounding up any people that might have been separated. Please make your way to the meeting point."

"Um... is Master Roy at the meeting place?"

"I...don't know that. But, I guess he will meet up with us there, even if he... wait, Wolt is that you? What are you doing here?" Not again...

Luckily, Lady Lilina dispersed the uncomfortable silence. "It doesn't matter now. Come on, let's go to the meeting place." And so, everyone traveled to the meeting place, happy and joking that they had survived the rather difficult ambush...

...except for me. I hid behind the trees until the others were out of sight. I... had a feeling that Roy was near, not at the meeting place. And, I heard something coming through the trees.

I made my way through the woods towards the sounds of clashing weapons. I moved extremely cautiously since I was alone, and I had no idea who or what would be in the clearing ahead of me. However, I knew one thing. Master Roy was there. I don't know why, but I could tell. I feel warm... well, I realize I've just been doing strenuous exercises in dodging and such, but... this is different.

The warmth... comes from inside. It's a comforting warmth. A warmth that tells me 'I can do it.' This sensation... I always feel this way when Roy is near.

The woods parted ahead of me. I could see the entire scope of the rather large clearing. I looked ahead.

I saw it. Near the center of the clearing, I spied unmistakable red hair with a blue body tied to it. Definitely Master Roy. I found him!

Master Roy appeared to be dueling it out with a particularly nasty Myrmidon. From my position, I could see the Sacaen markings along the blade of the enemy's sword. It's a Killer Edge! Oh boy... Master Roy has uncanny luck when it comes to situations like these, but... you never know... I started to run to his side.

I need not have worried so much. After a rather long parrying match, Roy managed to get the upper hand, and proceeded to end the bout with a clean cut of the neck. Ugh, another decapitation... that's two over my daily limit...

He stooped down to clean his sword off with a rag from his pouch. I hurried over to him. "Master Roy! I found you at last!"

Even though I was shouting, I don't think he heard me. He continued to clean the red liquid from his blade. As I got closer, I noticed that his clothes and armor were stained with it as well as the ground... What has Master Roy been doing?

I finally managed to get a good look of the clearing. There were a few bodies scattered around the clearing. Some of them weren't in... particularly comfortable positions. And, a few more decapitations to add to the list... Hold it. How could Master Roy manage to battle this many enemies and survive? I'm glad he did, but... since when does he decapitate people?

"How are you today?" Huh? In my musing, Master Roy managed to sneak up right next to me. We were now facing each other, except his eyes were a little downcast. All right. There is definitely something wrong with this situation.

My fears were confirmed when he proceeded to run me through the stomach, eyes pulsating with an ominous red aura.


	5. The bow of the winds: Myulgre

Thank you once again for everyone who reviewed. Unfortunately, this fic is almost done... no epic novel, just one more chapter after this and then the epilogue. I'm keeping it simple; remember, this is my first fic. I'm thinking of doing a FE9 fic after this in preparation for when FE10 comes out, and that will definitely be longer. Maybe. We'll see.

Chapter 5

My knees gave way under the immense pain. Roy carelessly flipped me off his rapier and I crumpled to the floor. Breathing quickly became an arduous chore. The feeling of pain was surpassed only by a heavy stinging as a breeze blew by and hit my bloody stomach. I could barely focus on Roy's body as he stood over me.

"Should I be nice and end it now? Or, should I just sit here and watch as you slowly bleed to death? I think I'll do that. There's no one around for quite some distance, but scream as loud as you want. It makes no difference to me."

His words weren't really registering in my brain. Instead, I guess I was going into shock. My mind was racing with all sorts of random ideas. But, the main idea that kept repeating itself in my mind was 'It figures doesn't it? Your "knight in shining armor" just killed you when you were trying to save him. I hope you're happy.'

The thoughts vanished when another wave of pain and stinging engulfed me. This time, the pain in my stomach was echoed by my arm. It appears that my other wound has reopened...

"You know, you're very boring. The others were very entertaining, but you're just lying there doing nothing. I think I'll put you out now."

So, this is it. I'm going to die by the hand of the person who I loved, surrounded by the trees and the dead bodies and that guy over there...

Wait a minute.

Over near the trees on the other side of the clearing was a figure wearing black robes. I could barely make out a red... something in his hand...

A Berserk Staff.

Somehow, the knowledge of the perpetrator's existence triggered a second flush of adrenaline. I quickly rolled out of the way as Roy plunged his sword into the ground where I was laying. I quickly grabbed my bow and miraculously managed to stand up.

The berserk Roy simply looked at me with a lifted eyebrow. "You are severely wounded. Fighting against me will only make it worse for you, you know."

Even when he's brainwashed, he cares for me. I'm truly touched.

But, Roy obviously wasn't my target. The enemy had emerged from the trees, perhaps to get a better view. A very bad mistake on his part. I just had to keep Roy away long enough to get a clear shot.

Roy started running towards me, sword lowered and to the side. I recognize this stance. By a stroke of good fortune, he was using his usual sword techniques. And, I just happened to have been his sparring partner for a while. But, it's been so long...

I did my best to keep up with him with my parrying. Considering that I'm wounded, tired and wielding a bow instead of a sword, I think I did pretty well. Holding it two-handed offered some versatility and speed, but it obviously exposed my hands. I could tell, though, that he was pretty exhausted himself. From the look of all these enemy bodies, I can understand why.

After a rather long series of slashing and blocking, he pulled back and raised his sword. I know this move. As he charged forward, I ducked low, blocking with my bow, while reaching out with my foot to trip him. Roy went somersaulting over until he stopped about ten feet away from me, about in the center of this clearing, when he smashed into a tree stump. Double ouch...

'CRACK' Great, it appears he took my bow with him. The impact between his sword and my bow split it clean at the grip. How can I possibly defend myself with this?

The wind started to pick up again. My wounds started that awful stinging sensation again. My strength started to leave me, and I was forced to sink to my knees, doubled over in pain. I barely managed to look up to see where Roy was.

Something's wrong. He hasn't gotten up off the floor. He's trying, but not succeeding.

"Where... Where am I? 'pant' What's going on? Why am I so... Wolt? Wolt, is that you over there? Where are we?"

Well, it appears that he's back to normal. A good hit to the head was all he needed, I guess. But, he seems so tired... Much more so than before.

I didn't have time to answer him. Large black flames started to appear in the air around Roy. What is going on?

I looked around. The figure had fully emerged, and had stepped close to Roy, chanting in that eerie language Rei and Sophia talk to each other in all the time.

It took a while for it to hit me. He's attacking Roy! He must've realized that the Berserk spell wore off...

I quickly looked over towards Roy. He had managed to get up on his hands and knees, but he was still breathing heavily. His eyes... He was panicking inside.

Roy can't possibly take the hit in his condition!

That's it. You may have terrorized me and my friends with your staff, but this is crossing the line. This guy is going down. Hard.

You were the cause of all this. You're that sixth commander they were talking about. It's all your fault this happened!

The wind started picking up more and more, but not as a side effect from the Druid's spell...

I didn't notice that the pain and stinging had gone.

I didn't feel the bandage on my arm completely unravel by itself to reveal perfectly intact skin.

I didn't pay attention to the bow decorated with wind currents that appeared from thin air in my hand.

I just saw the enemy Druid. The Druid that was attacking Roy. The Druid that thought he could finish him off.

He's gonna get it.

With stylistic flair, I drew an arrow from the quiver and cocked it to the bow. I didn't bother to aim, the arrow did it for me. It sliced right through the book he was holding and tore right through his chest, leaving a gaping hole.

But, that didn't kill him. It was the many blades of wind that were stirred up by the arrow that did that. They tore his body to shreds. Hundreds of pieces of flesh and cloth and blood.

I fell to my knees, from exhaustion this time instead of pain. Well, you try unknowingly summoning a legendary weapon and see how you feel afterwards! I think, though, after all I've been through today, it's surprising I haven't collapsed into unconsciousness before now... I could hazily see a figure wearing blue running towards me as I blacked out.

------

_We're in the city of Bulgar now. It's the largest city in Sacae which is saying a lot about their lifestyle because it isn't very big. It's only slightly larger than Pherae._

_We just breached the city gates and we're now scouring the city for any Bern troops or rogue Sacaen clan members. I'm here with Allen. We were told to look around this area of town. He's riding out in the middle of the street, luring out attackers while I stay hidden in the shadows and pick them off with my bow. It's a strategy that we've unfortunately perfected over the course of this war. _

_Across the street, I see an enemy Mage hiding between some houses, readying his tome as Allen just passed by. No you don't!_

_I don't think he realized what happened. I had managed to strike him in the neck, and he went down. Allen heard the commotion and his heavy breathing. He went over and stabbed him with his lance. We do try to be humane with our killing. That still doesn't mean that I like it._

_"Well, Wolt, we've picked our area pretty clean. I don't think that there are any more. Shall we head back and report in?"_

_"Yes, that's a good idea. I do believe the main force is this way. I hear a lot of battle noises coming from that direction." I pointed behind me down the alley that led to the center of town._

_"I don't hear a thing! How is it that you snipers have such good senses?"_

_"Well, my mother was also an archer. She taught me all I know. Including hearing and vision lessons. Come on, let's go." We started to travel down the alley when a voice stopped us._

_"Wait, wait!" A girl slightly younger than our age ran up to us. She had her brown hair tied back into a ponytail. "Are you here with the Etrurian army?"_

_"Yes, we are, miss. Is there anything I or my sniper companion here can do for you?"_

_"Thank you so much for driving the Bern troops from our area! Here, you're an archer, right? Take this bow. It might come in handy!" She handed me a Longbow. I said my thanks before she rushed off back to her house._

_I turned around to go back, but a hand on my shoulder spun me back around._

_"Wolt! What were you thinking?"_

_"Um... what do you mean?"_

_"That girl liked you! She gave you the present! And, you completely ignored her!"_

_"Oh, come off it!"_

_"You think I'm kidding? She was smiling so huge when she gave you the bow!"_

_"Allen... we need to be going. This isn't the time for idle gossip! We're in a battle!" I once again turned around to head off toward the battle. After a few seconds, I realized that Allen was not following me. I turned around to see where he was. He took that chance to resume the topic of conversation._

_"Wolt, I still can't believe you! You were so mean to her!"_

_"Allen, I was not! I think we should end this discussion right now. And, I think you should stop spending so much time with father Saul."_

_We remained in silence for a while as we made our way through the streets toward the center of town. Until..._

_"...I completely forgot. No wonder you weren't interested in her. She didn't meet your _gender requirement_."_

_An arrow was at his throat before he was done inhaling. Well, as best as I could manage, considering he was on a horse. "How. Do. You. Know?" Why does he know my secret!?! Does he know who...?_

_"Ah... hehe... well, you see..." I moved the bow much closer to him and lower towards... "All right! All right! Shin told me you were mumbling incoherently in your sleep! You were babbling about Master Roy and how much you want to... Wolt?" So he does know... my face was redder than Allen's hair right about now, I can imagine... I started running away. Far away. I don't know why... but, Allen knows. So does Shin. They... they probably... don't... want someone like me..._

_I eventually stopped running. I realized that I had ended up at the town's gates. And, there was no one around. Not a soul. Not even a dead body... I'm all alone... _

_I'd better get used to be alone. If Allen and Shin know... it's only a matter of time before the whole camp knows. Saint Elimine knows how quickly rumors spread in our little band. And then... Roy will definitely find out... how could I possibly return to Pherae? The whole world will stone me to death for being, well... what I am... but..._

_Roy can't find out. He just can't. I couldn't bear it if Roy knew._

_Oh, why am I like this!? It's all because of that stupid dream! If I never had that stupid dream, then I never would have any of these problems!_

_I started walking towards the city. The sounds of battle started getting louder. I looked up. I was down a small side street. How did I get here...? I was walking along the main path just a second ago..._

_Up ahead, I spied some people locked in a sword duel. I could see that both of them had pretty spiky hair... One had red hair. Flaming red hair. It appears that I've found Roy._

_I didn't recognize the other guy. He had brown hair, and it was even spikier. His head looked like it had a porcupine on it! That's pretty funny! I snuck in closer to get a better look._

_The two of them were pretty evenly matched. The porcupine-guy was very fast, but Roy was doing his best at keeping up. Eventually, he circled around with his sword, catching porcupine-guy off guard and sending him crashing into some barrels that were nearby._

_"That was awesome, Lord Roy!" He turned around and saw me standing there. He smiled a little bit before waving me over. The warm feeling inside of me started up again. A lot.  
_

_"Thanks, Wolt! It wasn't so hard, if I do say so myself." He went over to the guy's body, and picked up his sword. "He's unconscious, but without this sword, he's harmless. I'll let Generals Douglas and Percival take care of him. The Etrurian army proper handles prisoners of war. But, this sword, it's a Light Brand. These don't grow on trees, you know. I'll think I'll keep it."_

_"So, shall we go meet up with the main group? I think they should be engaging the enemy commander by now..."_

_"Hm? Wolt, this was the enemy commander. He lured me down a side street to a one-on-one battle. Luckily, I brought a Silver Sword with me. How were things over on your side of town?"_

_"Relatively quiet. We only ran into three Myrmidons, a Swordmaster and a Mage._

_Allen and I decided to take different paths back... just in case there was anybody left that we missed."_

_"Okay, let's go. I'm sure he's with the others." _

_As Roy and I turned to go, I heard some rustling of clothes behind us, down the street. I looked sharply around for the cause. However, Roy called me, and so I passed it off as nothing. For the time being._

_"What is it? Is something the matter?"_

_"No. Let's go." I don't think I should have ignored it that quickly. About five minutes down the road, my inner "person-is-near" sense was sounding alarm bells like crazy. _

_My reaction was simple. I tackled Roy to the ground to dodge the incoming sword strike. Unfortunately, my reflexes were not as good as was required. Upon hitting the ground, I knew I was injured._

_Roy quickly rolled me off of him. He saw the blood that was now profusely spilling out all over me. That's all was needed to turn him into an insane super sword maniac-type person. I knew the person who was following us would not last much longer._

_I didn't realize someone could bleed so much. I eventually, after a minute of lying there on the ground, realized that I was hit on the arm and no where else. But, my arm was currently laying on my chest, so the blood was spewing over my whole torso. I could feel my energy draining through my arm with the blood._

_I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. It required too much energy. Suddenly, the pain that I should have been feeling surged on me all at once. I didn't have enough energy to open my mouth and scream._

_Some time later, I could feel someone pick me up. It was probably Roy... my free hand managed to find something firm, probably his arm. I vented all the pain and the screams into my hand and squeezed hard until all of it was gone. _

_It was also the only thing keeping me awake._


	6. The moonlit night

Okurete sumimasen deshita!! (that's Japanese for Sorry I'm so late!) But, you know, teachers suddenly clamping down on you second semester, yada yada... insert generic excuse #744 Anyway, it's almost over! sniff This chapter was difficult to write, since I'm not that good at romantic fluff and sappiness and the like, but I think it turned out rather well.

I don't own Fire Emblem...

I woke up to see that I was back in my tent. A slight numbing sensation was going through my head. As I sat up, I could vaguely make out a green figure on the other side of the room.

"You're awake."

"Ah, Shin, is that you?"

"Please, don't get up. You need to rest."

"Um, okay." My vision started to return to normal. My bunkmate was there, sitting criss-cross on the floor, as usual. I could see that he was sitting between his bed and the torch in the middle of the room, with another green haired person laying down on the cot.

"Is she alright?"

"Lady Sue is just fine. She was awake just a few minutes ago. She also needs her rest. So do you."

"Alright, healer Shin. Whatever you say." I proceeded to lay back down. My eyes wandered around the tent until they rested on the tent entrance. The flap was pulled back to reveal black outside the reaches of the light. That got me thinking... "Um, Shin?"

"Un."

"...How long was I out this time?"

I think his response answered my question. It was one of those green moons that are supposed to happen every thirty years or so the saying goes. Because... Shin _laughed_. You do not realize the implications of this. There is a greater chance that General Douglas, _with_ his armor on, would beat Fil in a footrace than Shin would ever even smile, let alone laugh... "Don't worry, it's still the same day as the battle. You're nowhere near your record."

"Um... okay, thanks." Phew. I didn't miss any more battles... I mean the next battles will be against Bern soldiers on Bern soil, so it's the home stretch. They'll obviously be the hardest battles, and the army can't afford to be bogged down with an incapacitated person... Besides, Bern's extremely capable Wyvern Knights are weak to bows, so the army could use any archer it can get!

I felt something fall into my lap. It was a bow. I never really got the chance to look at it, since I passed out right after I used it.

"Myulgre... Hanon's Bow. Our search mission was solely to find that. We heard rumors that it was residing in this area. Unfortunately, the enemy also was searching for it, which lead to our little skirmish today."

Skirmish? I don't think that would be the word I would use... "So, any idea how it ended up with me?"

"Because, it was fate. Hanon thought you were ready, and so she entrusted the bow to you."

"Wow... how do you know that?"

He spread his arms and looked up. "They told me so. They told me she was watching you since we entered Sacae, and you passed her test." His eyes took on the same glow they had whenever he or Sue talked about their Sacaen spirituality.

I'm always amazed at how much they're into their beliefs. Lady Ellen and Father Saul have the same feel when they wield their light magic. It's amazing...!

"Shin... this bow is a treasure of Sacae, right?"

"I have heard stories of the Great Bow of Winds since I could first ride a horse."

I managed to stand up, and stumble over to where he was sitting on the ground. I sat down next to him and pressed the bow into his hands. "Well, then, here, you should have it. I don't think a common Lycaen deserves to have this."

"I don't think so." He gently pushed the bow back into my hands. "She gave it to you. Not to me, not to Lady Sue. If she gave it to you, then obviously she does not care that you are not of Sacaen blood."

"She... doesn't?"

"Wolt, stop worrying about who you are. Lady Hanon has bestowed a great honor on you. In fact, you are now an honorary Sacaen, if you wish. Few true Sacaens would question you if you have that bow."

"Really?" She doesn't care that I'm not Sacaen... maybe then...

"Wolt, where are you going?"

"I'm going... for a walk..."

--------

A few minutes later, Shin was still sitting on the floor of the room, debating with himself about whether to go after the ailing sniper or not, when the tent flap flew open, revealing the general of the army with armor on and everything, panting and out of breath. Well, that was a nice answer to his argument.

"'pant' I just... escaped from battle... and damage reports. How is he, Shin?"

"Did you have a nice run?"

A faint tint of red appeared on his face, and not from fatigue. "Well, I... it's such a nice night out that I thought it might be a nice way to relax after the battle..."

"It's alright. You are most concerned for your friend, yes?"

"...Yes. But, where is he? His cot is empty..."

"He also thought it was a nice night out and decided to go for a walk."

"Ah... is that so? Well... I don't think he should be walking in his condition! I'll... go bring him back!" And with that, he hastily left the room.

"...Lord Roy!"

"Um, yes, Shin? What is it?"

"... He went the other way."

"Oh, thanks."

-----

Myulgre.

Hanon's Bow of Winds.

This... thing.

Why...me?

-----

I'm sitting here, on this rock where I saw the sun rise this morning. Only this time... I'm seeing a full moon rise.

It's nice, seeing the moon this big and bright.

'twang' A little bit too low.

'twang' There. I hit it.

I'm practicing using the Sacaen bow grip that Sue and Shin use. Since I'm using a Sacaen bow, I might as well use it.

It couldn't hurt. Who knows? I might be injured again.

Speaking of which...

I remember General Cecilia teaching us about the Legendary weapons one day during our lessons. Each one forged to combat dragons. Each one with legendary might, and magically imbued.

I guess I never really understood what that meant until now. Myulgre, by just being in my possession, managed to heal all of my wounds. And, that wind spell...

That was rather unexpected. No one has used one of the Legendary weapons that we have yet, so we wouldn't know what they do. And, we have quite a few now, lets see, we have Durandal, Armads, Foreblaze, Aureola... Myulgre...

So much power, in this seemingly innocent bow...

Well, okay, it's a weapon. Weapons don't seem innocent. They fight wars, ruin lives, kill people...

I remember something Elphin told me once. That these legendary weapons are so powerful... when they were forged, it caused a gigantic winter that plagued all of Elibe for many years. Because they leeched so much power from the world.

And I have one of them in my hands, right now. In fact, I'm using it to shoot arrows out into the plains, away from camp, of course.

The Legendary Weapons never break. They're too powerful for that. Instead, the magic power that gives them strength is drained. If they become too drained... then they just become like ordinary weapons, maybe even worse. And, it takes like a hundred years or something to completely recharge them.

So, I'm being careful that I don't accidentally activate it. I've already done it once. There's no telling how many uses I have left.

'twang' I hit the tree again. I think I'm getting the hang of this. Let's try again...

"Are you sure you should be practicing out here by yourself?"

'twang' The arrow went sailing over the tree, missing by at least two meters. But, the tree wasn't my focus of interest anymore.

"Well, we have some pretty important battles coming up, and I don't know when I might have the opportunity again. And, don't you remember Sir Marcus' telling us that you should always get the feel of a new weapon, Master Roy?"

"... I remember. But, I also remember his telling us that we should use every opportunity to relax possible."

"I guess so." So, here we are. I'm sitting next to Master Roy, warm feeling going out of control and all. I can do this without ruining my life forever, right?

"...So, how are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. Myulgre healed all my injuries, so I'm just a bit tired. How about you? You certainly looked like you had some crazy battles yourself."

"I'm fine." His curt response startled me. I guess I'll change the subject... let's see...

"It's a bit hot tonight, isn't it?" My own fuzzy feeling notwithstanding, it was actually quite warm tonight. It was hot today, too.

"Un. But, the cool breeze helps a lot, right?" Breeze? There's no breeze... I don't feel it, and the trees aren't moving...

"What are you talking about?"

Roy sighed and turned away. "...Never mind."

"No no! Tell me! Why do you feel a breeze?"

"Well... I don't know. It's... strange. Sometimes, I feel a cool breeze... and... it helps me out. It guides my strokes so that it hits the enemy... warns me of danger coming... and sometimes, it just helps me when I'm hot. And... no one else feels it."

"Hm. Sounds like you have a guardian spirit looking out for you."

"Heh. Like in those stories your mother always told us?"

"Yeah. She said that they helped everyone in the army do well. They warned people of attacks, helped strengthen their shots... Just like your little cool breeze."

"I guess so... I felt it."

"Hm? Just now?"

"No, well... I'm feeling it now, but I felt it before."

"Before? Oh, you mean...?"

"When I was berserked."

"I thought... you don't remember anything while you're berserked?"

"Well, I didn't. Until... I saw you in that clearing. I guess seeing you kind of sparked my consciousness back."

"And yet, you still attacked me!"

"NO! It wasn't... I still wasn't in control of my body! In fact, the possessor figured out that you were close to me, and started taunting me. That was why he was playing with you, in part to hurt me."

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm glad I still remembered your fighting style, even though it's been so long."

"Yes..." Roy turned to face me. His eyes turned toward mine and I could tell he was being very serious. "Wolt, I need to tell you something."

"Yes, Master Roy?"

He let out a small chuckle before continuing. "You... are the only person besides our teachers to have ever beat me at swordsmanship."

"Really? That's interesting..." If I know Master Roy like I think I do, then I think I know what's next.

"Even if it was when we were little kids, I still think of you as my rival. When... when we were fighting... over in the forest... I was actually somewhat... happy to fight you. That I could finally beat my rival once and for all. I think the Berserk spell was feeding off of those emotions. When you... tripped me, I could feel it... the cold breeze. It woke me out of the spell. Even though you beat me..." Roy, understandably considering his heritage, has always had a slight ego problem. It's not completely out of control like some people's are, but pride is still a part of his personlity. "Wolt, I never understood. Why did you suddenly change from swords to bows? All I remember is that I suddenly found you at the archery range one day, shooting at targets."

"Well... it was the flu. I... managed to survive, but it took a heavy toll on my body. I couldn't use swords anymore. And so, my mother taught me how to use bows. Just in case I needed to protect myself. And, I've used them ever since."

"Ah. I remember... the flu. Where everybody died... my mom, my grandma, Lilina's mom, your dad..."

"Yes, everybody died..."

"When did we start growing apart? I know that we aren't as close as we once were..."

"Again, the flu. You and your dad traveled away from Pherae to escape it. You traveled to Ostia, where you met Lady Lilina." There were tears forming in my eyes. This is exactly what I feared. It was always in my thoughts that I always reminded him of that year when everybody died. Subconsciously or no, I always remind him of that.

"Yes. I know this."

"After I recovered, I was still physically weak. All the attendants, whoever was left, told me to stay in bed for two months. By the time I had enough strength to come and see you again, you and Lady Lilina had already become really good friends. I thought... you had replaced me. I saw how happy you were with her. So, I stayed away. I kept my distance."

"Why? Why did you keep your distance?"

"Because... because I ... never mind." I... can't take it anymore. I can't tell him. He's always been so kind, and if I lose him... I lose a big part of my life. I stood up, shouldered Myulgre, and turned to go.

"Wait, Wolt, where are you going?"

"I...I... I thought that I reminded you of what happened. I thought that every time you saw me, you would be reminded of who died, who suffered... I thought you wouldn't want me anymore."

"Wait! Where..."

"Master Roy, I lo... I don't want you to be hurt. It's... my job to make sure you are okay. And, I can't..."

"WAIT!"

But, I didn't wait. I just kept on going, running away. Away from my problems. Away from him.

I couldn't do it. I just can't tell him. It would...

'FUMP' "OW!"

I tripped on something. Or someone. Closer inspection revealed it to be the second.

"AH! Lady Lilina! I'm so so sorry for bumping into you like that!"

"It's quite all right. Though, I wonder what it is you were running from. Was it a bear? Or an enemy?"

"Um... neither." I realize I'm in severe emotional distress here. But, I can't help but wonder what Lilina is doing here in the middle of the woods...by herself. "Hey, why are you out here so late?"

"Well, I lost my... favorite hair ribbon. I think it might have fell on the floor around here somewhere."

"And, you're searching for it _now_?"

"Well, it's not my fault. When Oujay heard that my ribbon was lost, he decided to come out to look for it. Here. Now. So, I'm looking for him, but I'm not having much luck. Could you please go find him? I'm... scared to go any further into the forest. I can barely see as it is."

"Well, all right. You stay here so I know where you are."

That's strange. Why would Oujay suddenly go off into the woods by himself? I mean I remember his saying that he wanted to do something for Lady Lilina, but getting himself lost or hurt... That's not what she would want.

I kept going further through the forest. I couldn't see or hear anyone else, so I turned to go back to where Lilina was. About halfway back, I could faintly hear the clinking of metal. I could scarcely see his silhouette among the trees. I called out to him, and he started running to where I was.

"Wolt! Thank goodness I found somebody! I was here looking for Lady Lilina's ribbon, and I got lost and..."

"It's okay. She's this way. Come on."

He followed me in relative silence, until about a minute later I heard a faint voice.

"Lord Roy? Are you all right? Are you... crying?" 'TSING' My senses suddenly lurched and did a double take. In searching for Oujay, I had completely forgotten about Master Roy!

Oh boy...

' mumble mumble mumble' I couldn't quite hear what Master Roy was saying, so I motioned for Oujay to follow me. He looked at me funny. Could he really not hear them? I continued closer to Lady Lilina and Master Roy. Oujay started hearing them, too. I gagged him before he shouted to them.

"... Come and tell me all about it, Roy."

"Well, I... went to see him..."

"Wolt?"

"Un." At the mention of my name, I suddenly started breathing really heavily. I covered my mouth so they wouldn't hear me. I don't want Master Roy to know I'm here, and Lady Lilina might think I'm a monster and set the whole forest on fire.

"He came by here a little while ago. He seemed a little distressed. Did... did something happen?"

"I... I... don't... really know. It's... "

"Oh! Me and my stupid mouth! I just sent him into the forest to take care of my own problem! If I'd known that something happened..."

"That's the thing. I don't know what happened. I found him out on the field, practicing his archery. I stopped him, and... we talked."

"About...?"

"About today. And, the past. And... oh, Lilina. I couldn't do it!" Do...it? What is he talking about?

"Do what?"

"Tell him! About how I feel! I think I should just abandon hope. We've grown too far apart. I think he's scared of me."

"Scared? Of you? Aren't you two best friends?"

"Yeah, well, we were. I...we've drifted too far apart. He thinks I don't care about him... And, it doesn't help that I almost killed him today!" Roy was starting to shout by now. Oujay started mumbling something, and I clamped down harder on his mouth (it's okay, he was breathing through his nose).

"Roy! Stop it! If he didn't care about you, he wouldn't be in this army!"

"But..."

"None of your vanguard units would be here if they didn't care about you!"

"But...Lilina, caring is not the same as..."

"Oh. So, you don't think he would love you back?" Wait, wait, wait! Did she just say...?

"Lilina, I don't think I should have ever tried. I should just forget and move on."

"Hold on just a minute! You aren't going to start this feeling bad for yourself again! I've had it with this! Just come out and say it to him!"

"Lilina! I. Can't. It's too hard! I've never had the opportunity. And I just had the perfect one and I ruined it. I couldn't ask him. I could barely bring up the subject before he ran off."

"I don't understand. I mean, I've never been in love before, so I wouldn't know, but..."

"If it was anyone else, I'd be okay. But, it's him. Wolt has always been around ever since I can remember. I don't want to alienate him on the off chance that he might love me back. Which, considering, that we're both guys, is next to none. I'm sorry. Do you see any other guys falling in love with another guy. It's unheard of in our society!"

"Roy, please. Don't give up so easily."

"All right, already. You win. The next time I see Wolt, if... the conditions are right, I'll tell him. But, if I lose the best friend of my life because you pushed me..."

"I'm not pushing you into anything! They're your feelings! And, I doubt Wolt would leave you if you told him. He wouldn't do that to you. Now, you haven't had dinner yet! Come, let's go to my tent and I'll get you some food, so you can get your mind off of this." And, they left down the path.

I let Oujay go follow them. Hopefully, he'll have enough common sense so that he won't mention that I'm here in front of Roy.

So... Roy loves me back.

That's a possibility that hadn't occurred to me before. I guess I was too focused on the negatives to think that maybe there was that one in a million chance that Roy actually loved me back. And that one in a million chance has to happen to somebody, right?

Well. I get a legendary weapon, and Roy loves me. This day turned out to be pretty good after all.

It took a while for the implications to hit me... If it wasn't pitch black out, I'd jump for joy. I... I never knew when I ever felt so happy. I literally skipped back to camp. Roy loves me!

But, wait, Roy still thinks I'm scared of him! He... he might not want to be with me. He might have given up on me and moved on by tomorrow.

But, I can't just talk to him! I can't just barge in on him and Lilina and say that I was spying on them!

How to do this, how to do this... aha, I've got it! But first, I will need something from Roy's tent while he's away.

--------

It's finally done. I sealed away the letter and placed it inside an envelope, and then sealed it with Roy's seal. I then wrote "To General Roy: Please Read" in my best handwriting on the front. I then blew out the candle with which I was writing, and left the tent. And now, to find him...

"Wolt! What are you doing up at this time of night?! Aren't you supposed to be resting, after your escapade today?"

"Ah, Sir Marcus! What are you doing here?"

"It's my turn to do the watch! And, I must again ask what you are doing next to our leader's tent."

"Well, I was given this letter to give to Roy, so I came here to find him."

"What? What is this gibberish about just Roy? Why, in my..."

"What is going on here?"

Roy's voice, which sounded very faint and weak, nevertheless resounded throughout my body. Did I hurt him that badly? I.. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you with this. "_Master_ Roy, I was given this letter to give to you immediately."

"I...I see." He looked at me, and I could see by the torchlight that there was only a small flicker of hope in his eyes. But, a flicker there was. Yes!

"Well, I advise you both to get to bed. You both need your sleep, and we start marching again tomorrow."

"Yes, sir. Have a good watch."

"Thanks, Wolt. I will."

And so, now, Roy and I were alone together again.

"Wolt. I..."

"Sir Marcus is right. We need our sleep. Promise me you will get some sleep tonight after you read this letter." I hate to be mean, but I know what he was going to say. And, everything he needs to hear is in the letter.

"A-All right. I will. Good night, Wolt."

"Good night, Roy." I made sure my hand lingered a second more than it should on the letter when I gave it to him. I then left quickly. Even though... I know he loves me, I... still don't know how he'll respond to that letter. Hopefully, I haven't hurt him too much today...

-----

I can't sleep. Thoughts about Roy and how he's taking the letter are running through my mind. I keep tossing and turning as I flip back and forth from good to bad. Eventually, Shin yelled at me to stop, because it was annoying him. And, so I stopped, and fell asleep.

-----

I woke up the next morning, feeling really happy and somewhat... weird. This isn't my tent! And, this isn't my blanket nor my cot. Where?

I looked around to find a shirtless redhead in the bed next to me, hand wrapped around my torso. My face turned as red as his hair once I realized where I was. Did Roy actually carry me here while I was asleep?

I guess I don't have to worry about his answer anymore.

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Ha! It's done. Just the epilogue, which hopefully will be up soon. I hope that you enjoyed this piece, thanks to all reviewers, and have a good day/night/evening/afternoon.


	7. Epilogue Three years later

It's... finished.

My first fic. Something simple, short yet heartfelt...

If I didn't mention this before, "tsukaeru" means "to serve." So, "Tsukaeru Shounen" means "servant boy". It is the in-game description of Wolt, so I thought it would make a fitting title.

Enjoy the epilogue.

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_Roy-  
_

_No, this isn't an urgent battle plan or new military development. It's just me, Wolt. I wanted to talk to you about what happened tonight. But, considering how abrupt I left, I felt it would be awkward to talk to you face to face, so I'm writing you this letter._

_I overheard your conversation with Lady Lilina. To be honest, I was scared of you, like you feared. But, not that you'd hurt or kill me. I've gone through that so many times this war, almost losing my life. I was scared of you'd think of me if I told you that I love you. Yes, I was going through the same thing you are, which is why I hope you understand why I ran off like that. I'm glad that you confessed to Lady Lilina, and that I heard you from the trees (I have a sneaking suspicion that we were set up)._

_But yes, you read that right. I love you. Not the typical love between servant and master or even between two friends. But the love that you hopefully feel towards me as well. The love that is far deeper than that._

_I must confess that I also have a guardian spirit, like you. Instead, mine is a warmth that comes from inside. Over time, I've realized that it has gotten stronger, and that it only appears when you are near. I guess that the guardian spirits are just the knowledge that there is someone near who cares for you and is willing to support you in battle._

_I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. But, as you surely know, I was frightened that I might lose someone who's been there with me literally since before we were born. I have portraits of our mothers when they were pregnant, and they were sewing clothes for us. I didn't want to lose that bond, especially since I'll probably be working for House Pherae for the rest of my life. Not that I'm complaining._

_Hopefully, you will have read this letter before something you do something drastic like stab yourself or something. You can be impulsive at times._

_I hear someone coming. It's probably you. I'd better wrap this up._

_With this letter, I give you a promise. I am yours to do with as you wish. Just, tell me what you have to say in the morning. I am tired and need my sleep. And, so do you._

_ -Wolt_

I can't believe he still has this. After all this time...

I reread the letter a couple of times, just to refresh my memory about what I had written to him. I still remember sitting in Roy's tent and writing it.

Has it really been three years since...?

Well, this is definitely a keeper. Now how about this stack over here...

"Wolt! Don't think I didn't see you put that nonchalantly into the "keep" pile! We fought for an hour just about whether to keep last week's laundry list! What is this, anyway?"

"Wait, Mother! Please don't read...!" Too late...

"AH! My Wolt is such a romantic... 'heart' !"

"Mom!"

"Your father and I used to write letters like this to each other all the time! I still have all of them. We're definitely keeping this."

"Of course, mom, just hide it somewhere where no one will find it, okay? Now let's see about these papers here." Obviously, my mother and I are cleaning. Specifically, we are cleaning up Roy's room. He never has any free time anymore, ever since taking over as Marquess from Lord Eliwood, and... things have been piling up. I knew it was messy, but this... "Ah, a detailed battle account of the war from three years ago. Wow, it's pretty thorough... 'Today, the company paid 920 gold for two iron swords for Noah and Sue, 2000 gold for silken bowstrings for Dorothy...'"

"That should go somewhere safe. Do you have any idea how much those papers are worth?"

"True, I'll put it in the vault."

"No, it'll get all dusty and moldy and illegible... Put them in that trunk in your room for right now, and then we'll get someone to copy them onto a more durable medium later."

"Will do." I slowly stood up and made my way around the piles of junk to the door that led to my room. Yes, being the Marquess's official adviser meant that I was supposed to be Roy's right-hand man at all times, even at night. No problems there. It was tradition that the official adviser sleep in a conjoined room to the Marquess in case any late night assassins showed up, or if the Marquess ever needed anything during the night. For some strange reason, Roy seems to need me almost every night, so the door has become quite useful.

Ah, my room! So neat and clean! After securing the documents inside the chest, my eyes landed on two previously forgotten leather bags that lay limp on my bed. Great. I got so caught up in cleaning Roy's horrendous monstrosity of a room that I forgot what I was supposed to be doing right now.

Packing.

Roy and I are going on a trip around Lycia. Just the two of us. We're supposed to be traveling around, seeing how the reconstruction effort is going in some places. Most of Lycia has been rebuilt, but we just want to make sure that all the crops are doing well, everything is settling back to normal... It also makes a nice excuse to get some alone time. Such a thing actually is pretty hard to get when Roy is busy with Marquess duties and you have to hide your relationship from the entire world.

"Wolt? Why is it taking so long? Do you need a hair clip to open your chest again? Or, is Roy there and you're making out and completely ignoring me?"

Well, the entire world minus one.

I actually have to compliment my mother. She is the only person so far (besides Lilina and Oujay, of course) to actually figure out that there was something going on between Roy and me. She found out within the first week we were back.

Luckily, she was completely open to the idea. Unlike the rest of Elibe... hence why we are in hiding. "I'm coming. I just remembered that I'm supposed to be packing right now."

"Oh, that's right! Here, let me pack while you clean. On second thought, you pack, and I clean. You and your anti-clutter-ness ... you would throw out a priceless painting because it took up space!"

"Mother, I am not a neat-freak."

"You certainly act like it!"

"Excuse me, am I interrupting anything?"

"Hm? Oh, Sir Allen! How are you on this fine day?" Sir Marcus retired as the Commander of the Pheraen army, so Allen had the honor of taking over since Lance, his main competition, returned to his home in Ilia. He's warmed up to the task, and is performing admirably. He certainly looks the part. He has a thing for long, white capes.

"I am fine, Wolt. And, how about you, Lady Rebecca?"

"Hmph. I've been better."

I gave him a look that plainly said 'Don't Ask.' He didn't.

"Master Roy requests your presence in the Audience Room."

"But, isn't he currently meeting with Marquesses Santaruz, Khathelet and Araphen?"

"Yes, I do believe that is why he has requested you. They appear to be discussing something very heatedly, and I believe he wants your input."

"Very well. Can I at least change into something more suitable?"

"I believe he wants to see you right away."

"Um... okay." I took my leave of Allen and my mother, and proceeded down the hallway.

I wonder what the marquesses are talking about? Usually, they are on very good terms, so I don't know why they would be arguing. Unless...?

Did someone find out about... Roy and me?

My paranoia isn't just a speculation. It's a fact. Sometimes, when I go down to the market incognito, I lightly touch upon the subject, and every single person I've talked to so far has asserted that they would never accept a romantic relationship between two men, even if one of the men was Master Roy, the most popular guy in Elibe. Most have shooed me out of the store for even bringing up the subject.

We're lucky that the only person who found out so far was open to the idea. However, suspicions are starting to run around. The fact that Roy has not even mentioned marriage even though all the eligible women in Lycia have been fawning over him (well, who wouldn't want him, the hero from the Bern war?) has aroused some rumors among the people. None of them point to me, thankfully, but most do speculate that he has someone at least that he has not made known to the public. And, the rumors may turn ugly very soon...

I have reached the conference room. Here goes...

"I told you, I don't like the idea at all. But, I'm not a fool as to not listen to reason. I think I'll agree with Marquess Santaruz and say that we'll side with whatever Master Roy says."

"Thank you, Marquess Khathelet. After my adviser gets here, and we talk for a bit, I'll let you know my decision."

"Master Roy, I am here already."

Apparently, he did not see me come in, because he almost jumped out of his chair when he heard my voice. "Ah! Don't do that to me! Can't you at least let yourself be announced like everyone else? Why are you so quiet all the time?"

"Sorry. Old habits die hard." I calmly made me way past the gaggle of marquesses, bowing courteously as I passed. "What is it that you want my advice on?"

"Come, to the garden. I'll tell you there. In the meantime, while I meet with him... why, you gentlemen must be starved! You haven't eaten anything since your trip here! Go, the kitchen is the huge door to the left of here in the main hall. I'm sure the cook can fix up anything you would like."

"Thank you, Marquess Pherae. You are most kind." The three men left the room with the dignity that their posts required. Except for one...

"Well, Wolt, shall we? I'm sure you know the way."

"Yes..." We quietly left the room, walking the familiar path down to the inner garden. Roy seemed preoccupied by something. I was contemplating something that I saw in the room.

"Roy, why did Marquess Araphen scowl at me as he left the room?"

"Hm? I don't know why... Oh, yes, I do. Don't worry about it. It's nothing personal. His... dislike for the Sacaen people is very well-known."

"Psh." Ah, yes. Something else I must tell you. Over the past three years, my features have, well... sharpened somewhat. That, and my green hair is strangely turning darker, and it's been getting pretty long... Let's just say that I definitely look like I have some Sacaen blood somewhere in me.

Mother said that that's just how I aged, combining my father's good looks and her hair. I think that Myulgre has something to do with it. Both Roy and mom think that it just deepens my character. I still have reserved judgment on the matter.

Still, that doesn't stop people from automatically assuming that I'm a Sacaen. Sometimes that's good. Often, it's bad, especially when meeting with prejudiced Lycian nobles...

"Okay, here's the story." Roy's voice broke me out of my thoughts. We're at the garden already...? "It's... Lady Lilina. She's done it again."

"Hah! Lady Lilina sure knows how to stir up the Lycian community! What did she do this time? It can't have been worse than what she pulled last year."

"It is. Believe it or not, it's worse."

"Worse? I don't see what could be worse than actually 'gasp' ...marrying a commoner!"

"She wants to unite all of Lycia as one kingdom." That was a complete surprise. I wasn't expecting this... from Lady Lilina of all people! She's definitely not the power-hungry type!

"What? And the marquesses are okay with that?!"

"Well, obviously at first they were in quite a shock. But, after listening to her reasons, they don't know what to do. Lilina blames Lycia's lack of unity as the reason why we floundered so helplessly in the last war. It has also prevented getting anything consequential done between the city-states."

"But, surely she doesn't mean to unify Lycia under Ostian rule?"

"Well, under the proposed system, yes, she would be queen. However, a council of elders, that would be voted in by the people of each region, would be set up to check her actions. Most likely, the old marquesses would be established as that council, so it really wouldn't change anything except unite Lycia as a single political unit."

"I see. That makes sense. Except, you would need a ruler that would not try and manipulate the Council of Elders to pass an authoritarian agenda. While I compliment Lady Lilina on her political finesse, especially how she managed to get her marriage to Oujay recognized by the other marquesses, I don't know if later on down the line, she or a descendant will try to abuse the power of a ruler."

"That's certainly a problem..."

"Well, what do you think, Roy?"

We had stopped underneath an apple tree. Roy motioned for us to sit down on the ground. Seeing as no one was around, and the only window that faced the garden was from my room, he quickly pounced upon me and my neck. I was taken aback at this seemingly random act of affection.

"I was torn between both sides. I didn't know what to do, so I called for you. However, thinking of you, I suddenly came upon a decision."

"What have you decided? And, does this decision involve a reason why you are..." My statement was stopped by a pair of lips on mine. Mm... I love the taste of fresh Roy...

He continued after breaking off the kiss. "It finally hit me that if Lilina was in control, I would no longer be the Marquess of Pherae. Therefore, I would no longer be in a position of power where the public eye would be on my every move..."

"If you are so concerned about your status, why wouldn't you just be a member of the Council? You would certainly be a shoo-in given your popular-..." I was once again stopped from speaking by a rather lewd kiss. Fine, I'll be a good little boy and be quiet...

"You misunderstand me. I mean, that the public won't be pressed to watch my every action. My every move, my every breath..."

"Wait... are you suggesting what I'm thinking you're suggesting...?" Is he seriously thinking of...?

"Wolt. There's something you should know. You know that trip that we're supposed to take tomorrow?"

"You mean the one that I'm supposed to be packing for right now?"

"Yes. You see, I... was planning on making this trip... permanent. I hated this life. I hated all the meetings, all the struggles, all the paperwork..." I gave a loud chuckle at that one. Mmph, all right, Roy, I'll let you finish. You don't need to suck my face off. "...not being able to spend time with you, I did not like any of that."

"So, you were going to run away?"

"Yes. With you, of course. Now, with this new development, that would be unnecessary. I now have a full and legitimate excuse to... disappear, if you will."

"So, what does that mean?"

"I still want to take a trip. A... permanent trip. I want to go and travel the world. So, Wolt... um... would you mind coming with me? Together...?"

He reached out to me with his hand and with a small smile on his face. An apple blossom fell from the tree and landed in his outstretched hand.

It was then that I realized the full implications of what he was asking. This was... his version of a marriage proposal. He wanted... to spend the rest of his life with me. Traveling the world. Together. Forever.

I felt tears come to my eyes as I looked at his hand. It felt strange... I haven't cried since my dad passed away... "You know, Roy..."

"Yes, Wolt?" His smile started to falter...

"... You didn't even have to ask! You know what my answer is!"

"So..."

"Of course! You silly!" I immediately grabbed his hand, and he pulled me toward him. We hugged fiercely, laughing all the while, followed by a rather long kiss.

After settling down, we just lay down on the grass next to each other, watching the flowers on the trees sway in the wind. "So, what will we be doing while we're traveling the world?"

"Why, we'll become traveling mercenaries, of course!"

"Mercenaries, eh? That sounds fun!"

"Of course! With the legendary Sword of Seals and the Bow of Winds, Myulgre, no evildoer can stand in our path! Villagers needn't fear when we are near!"

"Ha hah! I suppose you already have a nickname for us! But, wouldn't people recognize you? You stand out quite a bit, especially with your hair. And, you're definitely a familiar face to the people of Elibe."

"Pth! Stop pouring logic into my world! I can just dye my hair black. And, you can just pass as an ordinary Sacaen..." I gave him a good, hard punch for that. "...And, being travelling mercenaries... no one will care what we do so long as we get the job done, right? So, that means that we'll be able to..."

"That... sounds like a wonderful life." As we walked back to the keep to give his answer to the other marquesses, I couldn't help but watch the spring in his step, and imaginary sword fighting with the trees and bushes. And, I was reminded of the Roy that I knew. Not the famous general of the Etrurian army, or the Marquess of Pherae. Just, Roy, the perfect hero of some fabricated story, out to destroy the evil monsters with his trusty sidekick at his side, always there to help him out.

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Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

owari desu


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